Xinjiang to host China-Eurasia Expo in September

Authorities have confirmed that the third China-Eurasia Expo will run from September 2 to 7 in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The State Council Information Office said on Tuesday that activities scheduled during the expo include the third China-Eurasia Economic Development and Cooperation Forum, which serves as a platform for participating countries to discuss matters conducive for regional stability and growth. Other activities range from Shanghai Cooperation Organization Business Day and Chinese and Foreign Culture Week to forums on cooperation in the fields of finance, telecommunications, science and technology. Some 5,000 foreigners participated in last year's expo. The number is expected to grow by 10 percent this year, according to Li Jingyuan, head of the Xinjiang International Expo Administration. Foreign trade transactions during the previous two events totaled 12 billion U.S. dollars, according to the organizers. The China-Eurasia expo was upgraded from a regional event, the 19-year-old China Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Fair, in September 2011, when the first expo was held.